I think the posting of 20 mil is the least of the worries presented to the teams who want him. The biggest problem will be cultural differences that Tanaka will endure. Bowden seems to think the Yankees are the number 1 suitor for his services and he may well be right, but I see the left coast teams as more viable landing spots. Seattle or Los Angeles Red Sox (lol) are better fits if he's worried about being close to home. NYY might really need him more than any other team, but if it's a level playing field as far as where he decides to play then maybe just maybe going from one Championship team to another would be the logical move! It will be interesting to see how the whole mess turns out..

i think we have a legit shot at landing tanaka. and for those of you saying "why would we pay all that money for a guy who has never thrown a pitch in the mlb?" see: darvish, yu Tanaka will almost certainly be more like darvish than dice k. I am starting to think that the reason why the sox have been so quiet this offseason is because they were waiting for tanaka. Signing him not only takes the best starter off the market, it creates more of a market for one of our starters that we are looking to deal. (also it would keep him away from the yankees)

i think we have a legit shot at landing tanaka. and for those of you saying "why would we pay all that money for a guy who has never thrown a pitch in the mlb?" see: darvish, yu Tanaka will almost certainly be more like darvish than dice k. I am starting to think that the reason why the sox have been so quiet this offseason is because they were waiting for tanaka. Signing him not only takes the best starter off the market, it creates more of a market for one of our starters that we are looking to deal. (also it would keep him away from the yankees)

Exactly.

We can get something very useful for Peavy, even if just a top prospect. Then, trade Dempster for salary relief, and we have enough to pay Tanaka, stay under the limit, have a little left over to fill a hole in July, and open a space for a young pitcher.

We'd be way better in 2014.

We'd be way better into the future, both with Tanaka and with the prospects we get for trading 2 SP'ers in a desperate market.

I'm really starting to get behind the idea of the Sox signing Tanaka. Even if he is not all he is cracked up to be, he should not be worse than Dempster or Peavy (neither one was horrible, but neither one shined in any way). The shock to the others teams in baseball would allow the Sox to set the market for Dempster and Peavy. And they would potentially get FoR or Middle without sacrificing a pick. It looks like wins all the way around.

It seems like there is no downside to getting in on the bidding, but in no way do I expect the Red Sox to outbid the Yankees for his services. The NYY need him much more than we do, and I don't believe for a second that this luxury tax business would prevent them from going hard after him.

What are you talking about mef? Strange. You're not quoting me there, and I'm offended by your remark suggesting racism. Simply talking about a highly-touted Japanese pitcher who requires a mega-million posting fee and who has never pitched a game in MLB. The situation is a unique financial gamble. Darvish succeeded big time, Dice-K, while he had a nice season or two, was mostly a failure.

just the very first part of my post was directed @ you. i didn't mean to imply you were being racist but that whenever threads about foreign talent pop up people always cite dice-k as a reason not to go after premium talent. i apologize for the mix-up SNM.

Pitchers who struggled from Japan can be cited as an example to Tanaka possibly struggling here (the adjustment from competitive Japan to MLB, it isn't adjusting from France baseball to MLB is it?)

A Japanese pitcher making the jump, and the huge posting fee's, make it impossible not to bring in Dice or Darvish or Nomo into the conversation as basis of discussion for risk/reward of bidding/signing on a Japanese pitcher. Racist? lol.

You should never have used the word 'racism" at all.

How you arrived so quickly at racism is beyond me.

+1

If it's racist to cite Dice-K to warn of the possible downsides of signing a guy like Tanaka, it must also be racist to invoke Darvish to make the opposite point (which is done frequently). The point, of course, is not that all Japanese players are going to turn out the same, but rather that there are huge risks involved in throwing so much money after a guy who's never thrown a pitch in MLB.

It seems like there is no downside to getting in on the bidding, but in no way do I expect the Red Sox to outbid the Yankees for his services. The NYY need him much more than we do, and I don't believe for a second that this luxury tax business would prevent them from going hard after him.

Not sure i agree, if the yankees exceed the threshold in 2013 the tax amount is pretty prohibitive...Due to having exceeded the threshold for more than 5 consequetive seasons.basically if they go over the 189M in 2013 they have to pay .50 cents on every dollar. If they can manage to stay below? Then in 2014 the penalty resets to .17 cents on every dollar. In the end we're not talkin peanuts But rather tens of millions of dollars and it would also put them in the same place next off season If the exceed the threshold this year.

The giant elephant in the room for them is Arod and the status of his suspension. If he's suspended for the season without pay that would free up 26M. As it stands today according to Cot's they're at 177,667 with only 15 players signed...With 126,767 committed to 8 players in 2014.

In the end if they as an organization are committed to getting under the cap? They're going to have to bite the bullet in the next couple of years...In looking at thier payroll commitments it might be easier for them to get under next year but signing Tanaka to a 20 plus million deal won't make it easier...

Not sure i agree, if the yankees exceed the threshold in 2013 the tax amount pretty prohibitive...Due to having exceeded the threshold for more than 5 consequetive seasons.basically if they go over the 189M in 2013 they have to pay .50 cents on every dollar. If they can manage to stay below? Then in 2014 the penalty resets to .17 cents on every dollar. In the end we're not talkin peanuts But rather tens of millions of dollars and it would also put them in the same place next off season If the exceed the threshold this year.

not only do they save all that BT

they save on the rev sharing kickbacks 2

that said I would be shocked if the mfy didn't go balls out 4 tanaka

while I have read that the yanks can save 100 mill in the next 3 yrs if they make 189 goal

I have also read they can lose 50 /60 mill a yr if they fail 2 make the PO

in otherwords the 189 goal is not the slam dunk I once thought it was

like U mentioned a case can be made that reaching that goal

later might be easier while saving their draft choices at the same time

we’re about to find out if the Yankees are 'the giant' anymore

IMO this will be the biggest fail since cliff lee if they don't get him

The giant elephant in the room for them is Arod and the status of his suspension. If he's suspended for the season without pay that would free up 26M. As it stands today according to Cot's they're at 177,667 with only 15 players signed...With 126,767 committed to 8 players in 2014.

I say the mariners open the wallet further and bring Tanaka to Seattle with former tammate Iwakuma and Prince..

If I were in the Sox FO and I really wanted Tanaka, I would tell them that I would post another 20M for another one of their players to take as part of the deal. That would be 40M to The Golden Eagles. Only taking on minimal $$ for whatever player they get and his current contract.

I say the mariners open the wallet further and bring Tanaka to Seattle with former tammate Iwakuma and Prince..

If I were in the Sox FO and I really wanted Tanaka, I would tell them that I would post another 20M for another one of their players to take as part of the deal. That would be 40M to The Golden Eagles. Only taking on minimal $$ for whatever player they get and his current contract.

Still going with the Yanks on this signing. Months I've been reading this was their plan. Need Starters bad. Small Posting Fee, they'll do something crazy, they always do.

Lot of Big name Pitchers going into Free Agency next year,(including Lester) with lots of money coming off the books for the Sox. Doubt the Sox will be in on this. Pretty sure their plan lets see how the kids do in the Minors, this coming year.

Not sure that under the new posting procedures that the Yankees are the favorites given thier fiscal challenge to stay below the luxury threshold. Tanaka will command something north of 20M per and not sure the Yankees have the room given they need multiple starter's and a couple of quality bullpen arms...

hey Beans..Happy Holidays..if not us, somehow i see him landing in Texas or one the LA teams(Dodgers/Halos)...

Merry Christmas Jete, He's definitely going to cost big bucks, and a lot of teams have the extra cash this year, which will jack up the competition.

hey Mike...same to you..i agree...the Yanks aren't a slam dunk for Tanaka, i feel like they could be behind the 8-ball because they will be dealing from absolute need vs maybe others team that surely want him but could maybe afford to pass..i hope it's us but i still see him landing West

Yankees have two things, money and desperation.

What happens to Arod will have absolutely no impact on what the Yankees will offer Tanaka.

The giant elephant in the room for them is Arod and the status of his suspension. If he's suspended for the season without pay that would free up 26M. As it stands today according to Cot's they're at 177,667 with only 15 players signed...With 126,767 committed to 8 players in 2014.

What happens to Arod will have absolutely no impact on what the Yankees will offer Tanaka.

Hi TWM,

I will be very surprised if Tanaka does not end up with the Yankees. Even though the Yankees have landed some very good players, outside of signing McCann, their offseason moves have been a little puzzling, IMO. The combination of money and desperation can do this to a team, I suppose.

I believe that the Yankees were very sincere and serious last offseason in their quest to get under the luxury tax. After missing the playoffs, however, they quickly abandoned that plan. As others have pointed out, the Yankees stand to lose about as much in not making the playoffs as they do in not getting under the luxury tax.

IMO, if the Yankees do not sign Tanaka, the signings of McCann, Ellsbury, and Beltran will more or less have been for naught. I think they will be going all out to sign him. I personally am not happy to hear that he has been posted.

It seems like there is no downside to getting in on the bidding, but in no way do I expect the Red Sox to outbid the Yankees for his services. The NYY need him much more than we do, and I don't believe for a second that this luxury tax business would prevent them from going hard after him.

Exactly. While it makes sense for the Sox to try to sign him, there is no way they are offering more than the Yankees will offer.

Not sure i agree, if the yankees exceed the threshold in 2013 the tax amount pretty prohibitive...Due to having exceeded the threshold for more than 5 consequetive seasons.basically if they go over the 189M in 2013 they have to pay .50 cents on every dollar. If they can manage to stay below? Then in 2014 the penalty resets to .17 cents on every dollar. In the end we're not talkin peanuts But rather tens of millions of dollars and it would also put them in the same place next off season If the exceed the threshold this year.

not only do they save all that BT

they save on the rev sharing kickbacks 2

that said I would be shocked if the mfy didn't go balls out 4 tanaka

while I have read that the yanks can save 100 mill in the next 3 yrs if they make 189 goal

I have also read they can lose 50 /60 mill a yr if they fail 2 make the PO

in otherwords the 189 goal is not the slam dunk I once thought it was

like U mentioned a case can be made that reaching that goal

later might be easier while saving their draft choices at the same time

we’re about to find out if the Yankees are 'the giant' anymore

IMO this will be the biggest fail since cliff lee if they don't get him

It wouldn't surprise me one way or the other...the real gain for them comes from being able to reset the penalty...one more year of paying the premium won't break them but will impact the money's they have to address the depth of their teams moving forward. even the Yankees have to work within the framework of a budget.

As for comparing the failure to sign Lee with a failed attempt to sign Tanaka not sure I agree. Failing to address the needs they have in the rotation and bullpen Imho are far more important...I'm not as bullish on Tanaka as many here are, based on pure stuff...I would say buyer beware...